Beaver Creek good for beginners, too

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More Beaver Creek content: Beaver Creek’s varied terrain, open runs set resort apart; The Laughing Bones give cool performance at Crystal Grotto.

Never skied or snowboarded before but always wanted to give
it a shot? The question always comes up of where to go, what kind of equipment
is needed, and how well trained will an instructor be?

If you’re a beginner, Beaver Creek Resort is a good place to
start.

First up equipment:

We rented our equipment from RentSkis.com. The website is
easy to navigate and offers services to every major resort in Colorado plus
locations in Denver and Boulder to pick up equipment. The website runs similar
to buying airline tickets – you put in information of your equipment pick-up
and return dates along with the time of pickup and location. That’s followed by
renter information, which is basic contact info along with shoe size, weight,
height, ski skills and gender.

You have the option of choosing different
packages that range from adult and children to performance (expert) or demo
(general) in skis along with the brand options like Salomon, K2 or Volkl. You’re
then given you’re total for the rental and you pay online through a secure
system.

We chose the RentSkis.com location near the Centennial
Express lift at the end of the Beaver Creek Village. The pick up was quick and
concise. There was just a quick check to make sure our boots fit and we were on
our way to ski school. (You can also book lessons at BeaverCreek.com. Prices
range from $475 to $675 for private lessons and $120 to $220 for classes.)

Our teacher was a fellow named John
from Connecticut who trains with the U.S. Ski Team and also coaches youth and
junior skiers in alpine racing. Teachers are well trained and tested and are
guaranteed to be above their students ski level. John was so patient, articulate,
and clear in his instructions that it would be difficult not to learn how to
ski under his tutelage. In addition to that, John had great stories about the
celebrities always coming through the resort and hanging out with their
families.

We spent most of the day near the Cinch and Hay Meadow runs,
sometimes labeled the “bunny slopes,” where beginners learn how to control and
get comfortable with their skis and snowboards. The runs aren’t steep at all
and there’s hardly ever a line at the lift. We spent most of morning pointing
our skis and learning how to turn without the constant rush of skiers and
snowboarders zooming past us or telling us to get out of their way.

That’s the
best way to learn.